Catling Advocacy LLC

08/25/2026

08/13/2026

There is a predictable response whenever we start asking hard questions about public education: change the subject.

Instead of asking why children aren’t learning, why disabilities went unidentified, why interventions failed, or why legal obligations weren’t met, the conversation suddenly becomes about whether the people asking those questions are being “too critical” of educators.

That deflection protects systems. It does nothing for children.

We can value educators without pretending public education is above scrutiny. And we can support teachers without silencing families who are demanding answers about what happened to their children.

When accountability feels uncomfortable, the answer isn’t less accountability. It’s fixing what went wrong.

08/12/2026

08/12/2026

08/12/2026

08/12/2026

Seeking Mothers of a School Aged Child on the Spectrum

08/12/2026

08/09/2026

A New Hampshire hearing officer just ordered a school district to fund a 24/7 residential placement for an eighth grader with an emotional disturbance, after finding a day program simply wasn't enough. (Note: this is a state administrative decision, not a court ruling. It doesn't set binding precedent, but the reasoning is worth understanding.)

How bad things had gotten: This student's history included a psychiatric hospitalization, a su***de attempt, self-harm, and repeated violent outbursts at home, including threats made with a knife. He was later hospitalized again after a series of aggressive incidents. None of this was mild or occasional. It was severe, recurring, and dangerous.

What the district tried instead: Rather than residential care, the district first offered virtual homebound instruction, which predictably failed. Then they reduced services and offered a day program. Neither addressed the level of crisis this student was in.

What the hearing officer decided: The evidence showed this student's emotional and behavioral needs were so severe and constant that he couldn't access his education without round-the-clock structure and support. A day program wasn't enough. The district was ordered to place him in a 24/7 residential therapeutic program, at no cost to the family.

Why this matters: When a child's crises are this severe, a school district's obligation under the IDEA can extend to funding residential care, not just day services, even when the hardest moments happen at home.

In re: Student with a Disability New Hampshire State Educational Agency IDPH-FY-26-03-035 June 15, 2026,

08/08/2026

08/07/2026

We don’t measure the success of reading intervention by whether a struggling reader learned something.

Too often, schools celebrate three months of reading growth during a nine-month school year as proof an intervention is working.

It isn’t.

A child who gains only three months of reading skills during a nine-month school year isn’t closing the gap. They’re falling further behind their peers.

Children deserve interventions designed to accelerate learning, not simply document slow progress.